


lily of the valley, anthurium, phlox

by Dadzawa, sanguine_puddles



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anxiety, Bathing/Washing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Depression, Disney Movies, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, don't get excited it's just mentioned that sora is still in college (riku already graduated), keyblades don't exist disregard canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 14:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19396216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dadzawa/pseuds/Dadzawa, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanguine_puddles/pseuds/sanguine_puddles
Summary: Sora drops by when he finds out Riku's in a slump.





	lily of the valley, anthurium, phlox

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to [Dadzawa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dadzawa) for answering my asks on tumblr and letting me use some of their ideas to help put this fic together! they're awesome, check them out.  
> big thanks to [xXCottonCandyKatXx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXCottonCandyKatXx) for betaing (at 11pm mind you)
> 
> (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ enjoy!!

_Fuck._

Riku stares at the television, mashing buttons on the PS4 controller in his hands.

_My eyes burn._

The speakers shout slashes and grunts, occasional stray dialogue.

_My back hurts._

He sits upright to stretch. It doesn't relieve the ache.

_I feel gross._

The battle on the screen moves in slow motion at the finishing strike.

His hair slips in his face when he tips forward in a brief flash of triumph.

_I haven't showered in days._

A cutscene plays on the television. 

It's hard to focus. He’s seen this so many times before.

The gameplay continues. A mindless loop of attack, dodge, attack.

The burn in his eyes becomes too much. 

The game pauses, the controller gets put away, the console shuts down. 

He lies down on the bed beneath him, closes his eyes.

Back and hip joints crack as muscles relax. Fingers and toes crunch with curls.

_I'm tired._

_What time is it?_

It's still light out.

_But I'm tired._

He dozes off to the rumble of the air conditioning and traffic outside.

When he wakes, it's dark out. And cold.

He covers himself with a sheet. Warm enough in this dreadful summer. 

_I'm not tired._

Sleep doesn't come back.

_This sucks._

_Insomnia at its finest._

_Who cares?_

_No one._

_You know that's not true._

Hours pass, thinking about what ifs, could haves, and should dos.

It's light outside.

_When was the last time I ate?_

_I’m nauseous._

_Gross._

_I need to piss._

He makes the ten or so paces to the bathroom and goes through his routine.

An empty bladder, rinsed face, and fresh mouth later, he ends up staring at his reflection in the mirror.

Something sickly pale with too many shadows peers back.

A heavy sigh echoes on the walls.

_I should eat._

He walks to the small kitchen and makes some oatmeal. Butter, brown sugar, milk, stir.

_Easy enough._

He forces it all down, ignoring the faint feeling of wanting to vomit.

The empty bowl and spoon get set next to a variety of other soiled dishes.

_I’ll do it later._

He heads back to his bed, planning to numbly sulk some more, when he spots his phone light up on the nightstand.

He watches it for a few minutes. 

_It might be important._

Nine text messages.

 **literal sunshine (Sora) [07:16]:** hey, did you want to go to the cafe today?  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [07:24]:** riku??  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [07:49]:** ?????  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [08:01]:** riiiiiiikuuuuuuuuuu  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [08:06]:** aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [08:06]:** aaaaAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [08:12]:** …  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [08:13]:** is it one of those times?  
**literal sunshine (Sora) [08:20]:** i’ll be there in a bit. with sustenance.

_Well…_

_Fuck._

Riku takes some ibuprofen from the nightstand to sate the oncoming headache. (From stress, never Sora.)

_Oh well._

He sits on the bed, closes his eyes and leans back.

_I’m exhausted._

Some time later (it feels like forever), there’s a knock, then the sound of the front door opening and closing.

“Hey. I brought some food. And movies.” Sora’s voice is soft, quiet.

Riku hums.

“When was the last time you changed your clothes? Took a shower?” He takes off his shoes, walks over to stand next to Riku, and sets his bag at the end of the bed.

Riku looks to him drowsily, thinks for a moment. “Three… Maybe four days?” 

Sora sighs, grabs and tugs on Riku’s hands. He offers a smile. “Sorry. I would have been able to see you more if I didn't have so many exams to study for. I've been busy. Now come on. Let’s get you washed up; you need a bath. I’ll help.”

Sora guides Riku to the bathroom. He plugs the drain and adjusts the water while Riku strips down. It’s warm, on the edge of hot, just the way Riku likes it. 

He turns to Riku. “I’m gonna go grab some clothes for after. You can get in whenever you’re ready.” 

Once he’s stepped out, Riku eases into the rising water. He lowers himself slowly, muscles relaxing. 

_This is nice._

_Do I deserve it?_

_I need it._

Sora comes back with a pile of Riku’s clothes, a towel, and a plastic cup. He lifts it, explains, “For your hair,” and sets the clothes and towel on the edge of the sink. He settles on the floor next to the tub.

Sora turns off the faucet and uses the cup to scoop some water into Riku’s hair, watchful of his face. He grabs the soap (a two-in-one of something citrusy; _really he should do better with how gorgeous he is_ , Sora thinks) and squeezes a generous amount into his palm. He rubs his hands together, then lathers it through Riku’s locks. 

Riku falls into a trance as Sora massages fingers over his scalp and hums his favorite songs (a mix of Disney soundtracks, early 2000s music, and 80s ballads). 

When Sora’s around, it’s easy to forget about how tired he sometimes feels. How worthless.

Riku sucks in a breath, feels a frown coming. Water cascades over him, taking suds with it. 

Swift hands pull his dripping hair out of his face. Sora moves to get the loofah. “You good?”

“I’ll be fine.” That earns him a light wack to the shoulder.

“I’m talking about now, not later!” 

Riku shifts, getting anxious. “Why are you here? You could be doing other things--more important things.” His breathing spikes. “I--I’m just…” 

_Wasting your time._

_Shut up. He doesn’t want to hear it._

_Such a stupid reason, why are you complaining?_

_He cares--he doesn’t care--you shit._

_I should be able to take care of myself._

He growls at his inability to articulate his thoughts.

Sora drops the loofah into the water, caresses his face with soapy hands, forces him to make eye contact. “I came here because I care about you. I want to take care of you, I want to help you feel better; it makes me happy to.”

_See?_

He brings their foreheads together and takes deep breaths. “I love you, with all of my heart.” 

Riku breathes with him, focuses on Sora rather than his thoughts, calms his rapidly beating heart. “I'm okay for now,” he whispers.

Sora beams, pulls back to fish for the loofah. He scrubs down Riku’s shoulders, back, chest, everywhere while he resumes humming.

When he deems Riku clean, he drains the water. He turns on the shower hose and rinses the bath water and soapsuds from his pale skin.

Sora grabs the towel and hands it to Riku. “I'm gonna go start up the PS4 and set out the movies. Dry off and get dressed,” he says as he walks away.

Riku briefly contemplates dressing without drying (like a heathen), but ultimately decides he doesn't want his clothes clinging to him like leeches so he towels off and throws on his pajamas. 

He flops onto his bed just as Sora starts Big Hero 6. He opens his arms when Sora gives him a nudge that screams, _Spoon me!_ Sora pulls Riku’s arms around his waist and presses his back to his chest. Riku shoves his face into the other’s chestnut hair.

Riku feels calm.

_It’s warm._

He closes his eyes and absorbs the soft atmosphere, breaths evening out in a telltale sign of slumber.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic came together over the last few days and I'm proud of it because it's the longest (even if it's short) i've written so far! it does take a bit of inspiration from the asanoya fic i did recently in regards to starting heavy and ending fluffy because i wrote both that and this when i was feeling a bit low (lots of projecting). writing helps me get the bad feelings away and smother then fluff and goodness. it's therapeutic that way.
> 
> tell me what you think in the comments! (i love hearing different perspectives)
> 
>  **lily of the valley:** humility, chastity, sweetness, luck in love, "the return of happiness"  
>  **anthurium:** hospitality, beauty, luck, protection, happiness  
>  **phlox:** good partnership, harmony, sweet dreams, love, unity of souls
> 
> ~~i hope the formatting came out alright~~


End file.
